Four Principles that Apply to Teleprospecting, Too
Posted by
Matt Fitts on Mon, Mar 29, 2024 @ 02:04 PM
I came across an entry on B2B Ideas@Work Blog, shared by Craig Lindberg. Craig is Partner and Executive VP with B2B Marketing experts MLT Creative out of Atlanta GA. Craig's entry, entitled, "In BtoB Sales, There's No Time for Monkey Business," really made me laugh, but made me think, too.
This was my first visit to this particular blog and the first article by Craig that I have read. I am not sure if it was the title of the article or the picture posted that got me to read on - but I did and I like what was shared, and it made me start thinking about the message and the world I work in - B2B teleprospecting.
The story that the entry starts with produces a pretty funny visual in your head even if you do not know "Ken" the referenced main character. It reminded me of the scene in the Naked Gun when Leslie Neilson is in a office and it is a comedy of errors as he is trying to retrieve his pen from the fish tank.
Okay, so I did not just like the story that Craig told - but more importantly I agree with his four basic principles of B2B sales and can easily relate these principles to my day to day and the world of teleprospecting. Below is my take on the four principles with a very slight spin to relate them to the cold calling and teleprospecting.
Craig's first principle is come prepared. I would say this is critical in just about anything you want to be successful at, including making a cold call. How could you expect to begin the sales process with not only being prepared with what you are calling about but also what is going on in your target prospect's world? I am not saying that you need to do a large amount of research on your prospect (favorite color, etc) but you better know what the typical pains that prospect may be experiencing and just how you can help them. There also is a level of understanding you want to have as it relates to your targets industry (e.g. what does the marketplace look like today - growing/contracting, etc) before you pick the phone up to cold call them.
Perhaps the most important idea to keep in mind when using the telephone (any interaction really) and one that I look for while interviewing a potential new team member is the ability to listen. Craig's second principle, lead with questions, is one that is fundamental to any conversation, professional or personal. How can you listen if you don't get your prospect talking? With out getting someone talking you have nothing to listen too and then you have nothing to lead you to the next principal, follow with suggestions. This led my mind back to the first two principles, come prepared and lead with questions - how can you can you suggest something if you have not done your homework as well as listened intently to your prospect. I train the folks on my team a simple tactic in trying to ensure that they are both listening as well as continuing to uncover a potential sales opportunity for a client - ask a question about the answer you just received from your prospect - this not only brings the conversation along, but it also allows you to drill down into the specifics that are critical in moving any sales process forward.
I am a believer that when it comes time to "close" on the deal or actionable next step in the sales process, that if you have followed the first three principles the fourth principle that Craig discusses, always be closing, will come with much less stress and in fact just fall right in line!
I want to thank Craig for his post and specifically getting me to smile at my computer as I pictured the "monkey business" that he described.
What's your opinion? Do the four principles correlate to teleprospecting, or am I off here?